Report: College Access For Low-Income Minorities Could Get Worse
WASHINGTON
A new report warns that a number of factors at the federal, state and institutional levels are likely to converge in the coming decade, creating potentially serious negative consequences on higher education opportunities for low-income, minority and other underserved populations.
The report, “Convergence: Trends Threatening to Narrow College Opportunity in America,” produced by the Institute for Higher Education Policy and funded by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, predicts that the coming decade will see, among other things, more financial aid flowing to upper-income students and families. The report also predicts that financial aid will become less effective against rising tuitions and that those entering higher education will be forced to take on more debt.
The authors contend that without a comprehensive and coordinated plan of action, the consequences for the nation’s economic, social and cultural well-being could be profound, leaving the United States less prepared to compete in the global economy.
According to the report, a concerted public-private partnership involving the federal government, states, colleges and universities, students and parents and the private sector will be required to counter the convergence of these trends. This partnership, dubbed the National Dialogue on College Opportunity, would function as a standing committee of business leaders, college and university presidents, policymakers and students.
Key findings in the report include the following:
– Federal, state and institutional support is increasingly shifting toward academically based aid and away from the students with the most financial need.
